


Wait for the End to Change

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 12 Dates of Christmas AU, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mentions of Panic Attacks, let's see if anyone other than me has actually watched that cheesy film lol, or at least i tried so let's see if i succeeded lol, the worst day ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 03:42:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11820501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: Harry was running late.  He was running late, because apparently his electricity had been turned off overnight, which had caused his phone to not charge, which meant it died and the alarm didn’t go off.  He would have just kept sleeping if it hadn’t been for the paper thin walls and his neighbor’s alarm being horribly loud.  Anyway.Harry took his second sip of his glorious morning coffee when someone biked past him and hit him with their bag.  It jostled him enough to pour the hot coffee all down his front, staining his work shirt and trousers.“Sorry!” the cyclist called over his shoulder, and Harry just stood there, staring at his ruined outfit.  Maybe he should just go home, climb back into bed, and see if he could try starting the day over again.Or the one where Harry has the Worst Day that won't stop haunting him, but Louis might be more than just the silver lining.





	Wait for the End to Change

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dinosaursmate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinosaursmate/gifts).



> [KK](http://dinosaursmate.tumblr.com)!!! Happy belated birthday, my darling. I completely disregarded everything you told me you enjoy in fic and am giving you this smut free piece of randomness BAHAHAHAHA I'm so sorry. I hope you enjoy it anyway despite those facts lol
> 
> This fic was written as part of an ongoing challenge. We each select random numbers and are given a specific emotion from the book 1000 Feelings For Which There Are No Names. To read the other fics written in this challenge, [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/ShortFic_Challenge_For_Which_There_Is_No_Name/works), or you can find the masterpost on tumblr [here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/159679804243/1000-feelings-for-which-there-are-no-names-prompt).
> 
> My prompt was 364: the terror of the never-ending vicious circle. The title comes from Same Mistakes, because that just seemed apt. 
> 
> Massive thanks, as always, to my forever cheerleader [Tin](http://silentlarryshipper.tumblr.com) as well as to my pretty much permanent last minute speed reader beta [Molly](http://becomeawendybird.tumblr.com) for all of your help! All remaining mistakes are, as always, my own. Especially the British ones. Because yes, I'm gifting you a British fic without it being Brit Picked. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT ME TO DO?? cough. anyway.
> 
> I don't own this mess of a boyband that has ruined all of our lives, this is a work of fiction, blah blah blah. I hope you enjoy!

**Friday, Take One**

Harry was running late.  He was running late, because apparently his electricity had been turned off overnight, which had caused his phone to not charge, which meant it died and the alarm didn’t go off.  He would have just kept sleeping if it hadn’t been for the paper thin walls and his neighbor’s alarm being horribly loud.  Anyway.  Harry grabbed his phone and charger as well as his wallet and flew out the door.

Harry  _ might _ actually be on thin ice with his boss because of how often he’s late.  It seriously wasn’t his fault that the buses by his flat were often rerouted or too full for the rush hour.  Harry wasn’t ever able to account for when they’d be running on time or if the tube would be delayed due to more fires, so it seemed no matter what time he left his flat, he was almost always late.  It didn’t matter that he stayed late to make up for it or that he had the highest productivity and best quality scores on his team.  His boss had given him a verbal warning a couple weeks ago and a written one last week.  Today might very well be the straw to break the proverbial camel’s back.

Harry rushed out onto the street and saw his bus pulling away.  Fantastic.  He checked his watch to confirm the time, and yep.  The next bus wasn’t going to be for another twenty minutes.  Harry ran his hand through his hair, that was the most attention it had gotten yet that morning, and wished his phone was working so he could at least text one of his co-workers to let them know what was going on.  Shit.

Harry trudged across the street to the bakery and was happy to find the queue wasn’t very long.  At least there was that.  He tapped his fingers on his legs as he anxiously looked around, a bit at a loss for something to focus on since his mobile was dead.

“Hello, dear.  What can we get for you this morning?” the older woman asked kindly.  Harry couldn’t help but smile a bit in response.

“Oh, yes.  Erm, could I please have a small coffee and a croissant?  Thank you.”

He waited while she slowly bagged up his wonderful breakfast and poured out his coffee.  Blessed, blessed coffee.  He barely heard the total she gave, he just handed over his card and began to sip the coffee.  It was the perfect temperature.  His day was starting to look up.

“Oh, I’m sorry dear.  It’s telling me your card is being declined.  Would you like me to try another?”

A feeling of dread began to pool in his stomach.  He was to be paid today.  He figured he would be able to afford a croissant and coffee before paying to get his power back on.  Why wasn’t his card working?

“That’s strange, let me see if there’s another.”  By now the queue was longer and out the door.  Harry felt awful for holding everyone up, but this really wasn’t his fault.  

He pulled out his wallet and just as he knew, there were only the two other credit cards he had that were already maxed out.  Fuck.

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid not.  I’m sorry to waste your time and for already sipping the coffee.”  Harry looked longingly at the croissant that was now out of his reach.  

The woman, Barbara her nametag read, pushed his coffee back across the counter.  “You go ahead and keep that, love.  Have a good Friday.”

Harry thanked her profusely as he shoved his offending wallet back into his pocket and clutched the coffee like a lifeline.  “I’m so sorry,” he apologized as he made his way past the queue and back out the door.  He was just taking his second sip of his glorious, gifted coffee when someone biked past him and hit him with their bag.  It jostled him enough to pour the hot coffee all down his front, staining his work shirt and trousers.

“Sorry!” the cyclist called over his shoulder, and Harry just stood there, staring at his ruined outfit.  Maybe he should just go home, climb back into bed, and see if he could try starting the day over again.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry returned from his late lunch break feeling a little better.  He was still hungry since he hadn’t actually  _ eaten _ and he still had several phone calls to make about why his paycheck wasn’t showing up in his account yet, but he’d had a nice sit in some rare sun.  It had helped him feel a little better about his day that hadn’t improved since he’d gotten to work, thanks to angry customers being aplenty.

Harry settled into his chair and typed in his password when he saw a message blinking from his boss asking him to come to his office.  Shit.

Harry locked his computer again and walked over to knock on his boss’ door.

“Come in,” Carl called.  

Harry opened the door timidly and smiled.  “Hi there.”

“Harry, please sit down.”

Harry knew by the tone of his voice what this was going to be.  Fuck.  This day wasn’t going to let him catch a break.

As soon as Harry had sat on one of the uncomfortable chairs Carl provided his employees, Carl got started.

“I saw your email about your paycheck earlier, sorry I didn’t respond.  I knew I was going to be meeting with you so I figured I’d take care of both issues at the same time.  Harry.  You were late...again…”

“I know,” Harry interrupted.  “I was.  I’m sorry.  The transit just isn’t reliable out where I am!  I do the best I can!”

“I know you do, but we need someone who can be here on time.  You know this.  We’ve talked about it twice before.  I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to let you go.  It was your tardy on Wednesday that actually did it, and for some reason when the notice was put in to HR, that cancelled your direct deposit for today even though it should have gone through.  Apparently a hard copy of your check has been mailed to your address on file as will your last paycheck for the past two weeks.”

Harry just sat there in shock.  His address on file was his mum’s because he still felt like her residence was more permanent for him than his own flats that he seems to move every couple of years.  Shit.  Who knows when he’ll have that money in his account to get his electricity back on, then.

Harry finally zoned back in to realize Carl was still speaking.  “We’ll need you to gather your things and leave the premises.  I’ll also need your badge.”

Harry was in a bit of a fog.  He pulled his badge off of where it was clipped to his coffee stained shirt and handed it over before standing up and taking the box Carl was offering him.  He walked back to his desk and just stared at it.  

There wasn’t actually much he wanted to keep.  He had hardly decorated the place to begin with.  He tossed his certificates of achievement in the trash along with all of the papers he’d kept for reference purposes and eventually was left with just a handful of family photos and a little stone that read, “Harry, you ROCK!” on it.  It had been a stupid and cheesy gift that everyone in his department received for some appreciation day or other, but he couldn’t help it.  The pun was one he couldn’t give up.

Harry went to tuck his photos into his back pocket when he realized, his wallet was missing.

“Oh what the fuck,” Harry muttered as he felt all of his pockets, but the telltale weight of his wallet was nowhere to be found.  “Shit.”

Barely holding in his tears, Harry logged off his computer for the last time, left the keys to his drawers on his desk, and walked away with little more than he came with.

He got outside and pulled his phone from his pocket.  Luckily he’d been able to charge it while at work so it could power on again.  He walked over to his bus stop and settled in for a wait.  At least at this hour he should beat the worst of the traffic.

He dialed his mum and waited for her to answer.

“Harry,” she said cheerily, though he could hear her obvious confusion.  “Aren’t you still at work?”

Harry sniffled.  Hearing her voice made it finally settle in that everything was real and had actually happened.

“Mum, I’ve had the worst day, but long story short I’ve lost my job.”

“Ohhhh, darling boy.  I’m sorry to hear that.  Was it because you were always late?”

Harry nodded before realizing she couldn’t see him.  “Yeah.  I get it, but like, it wasn’t my fault!”

She hummed and he knew she felt he still could have done more, but he was grateful she was holding her tongue for the time being.

“Well.  You know what?  I actually was going to call you when you were off because I think I have just the thing that will cheer you up!”

“Did you send me a bottle of wine like you did for my birthday?” Harry asked hopefully.  She’d had the wine delivered to his door and it was the best he’d ever had.  He could use a bottle or two of that right about now.

Anne chuckled.  “No, this is even better!”

Harry snorted.  He doubted it.  All he wanted right now was a good drink.  He figured he deserved it as well.

“A friend of mine’s son just moved down to London.  He’s single and into men and we both think you two would get along wonderfully.”

Harry groaned.  “Mum.  I know I didn’t give you details, but I’m crying on the street waiting for my bus.  Today has been shit.  The last thing I need is you setting me up on a date right now.”

“But, Harry, listen to me.  He’s adorable and so sweet!  He’s just the kind of boy I want you to end up with.  And he’s willing to meet you!  You know that pub you like so much?  The one you and Gemma took me to last time I was down there?”

Harry rolled his eyes.  “What, the Stag and Laurels?”

He could hear her snap her fingers in the background in excitement.  “That’s the one!  He’s going to meet you there at seven.  Hopefully that’s doable.”

“No, Mum,” Harry protested, “I don’t think you’re understanding me.  I honest to God cannot handle one more thing blowing up in my face tonight.  I’m sorry but you’re going to have to call him or have his mum call him and let him know I won’t be there.  Maybe I’ll reconsider another time, but today has been hands down the worst day of my life and I need to go drown myself in alcohol,  _ alone, _ before pulling myself together tomorrow and figuring out what the hell I’m to do with myself.”

“Harry.  Please.  Just think about it.”

Harry finally decided he’d had enough.  He couldn’t handle his mum’s well meaning badgering about this topic on top of everything else he’d dealt with.  “No.  Not tonight.  Let the poor man know I won’t be there.  Goodbye.”

Harry hung up and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.  “Fuck it all,” he said before dropping his hands.

The bus pulled up at that point and he gratefully got to his feet.  He climbed up the stairs and had just reached for his wallet to grab his pass when he realized he didn’t have it.  He’d lost his wallet and all its contents at some point during the day and he’d totally forgotten.

He gave a weak smile to the bus driver, apologized, and got back off.  He forlornly watched it pull away and he just stood there.  It was far too long of a walk to get back to his own flat.  Gemma’s was decently closer and he should be able to get there in only about forty minutes if he didn’t get himself lost.  Damnit.

Why couldn’t at least his check have gone into his account so he could get an Uber?  Why did he have to lose his wallet?  Why did everything have to come together and shit on him all at once?

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry used his back to push open the door to the bar since his hands were still carrying the box of shit he’d taken from the office.  He was grateful for the aircon they had here.  It was warmer than usual, and his business casual clothes left him sticky and gross.

Harry made his way over to the bar where he saw Fionn wiping down glasses.

“Harry, mate!  What brings you in here at this hour?”

Harry checked his watch.  It was already half five, but it was still a good two hours earlier than he usually came by.  

Harry patted the box he’d set on the bar.  “Just got made redundant.  I was hoping to wait here until Gems got home so I could take my stuff there and then I hoped to come back.  She’s got plans and I don’t particularly want to spend the night crying alone in her flat.”

Fionn pulled a sympathetic face.  “I’m sorry to hear that.  What happened?”

Harry let out a tired chuckle.  “Today?  Or just with the job?”

As Fionn picked up a new glass to shine, he looked at Harry out of the side of his eye.  “That sounds foreboding.  Did more go to shit today than just your job?”  The look on Harry’s face must have easily answered the question, because Fionn finished buffing the glass and immediately poured Harry’s favorite cider into it.  “One on the house.  Now tell me all about it.”

The one on the house had turned into three as Harry had continued his story of his day from Hell.  Gemma had texted that she was back to the flat, but Harry hadn’t felt his phone vibrate until an hour after she’d already left again, so he was stuck at the bar for a bit longer.  By this time Fionn had taken Harry’s box and put it in the employee’s lounge so it didn’t take up space that he’d be needing for the Friday night crowd.

Harry stayed right where he was and chatted with anyone who sat beside him.  One particularly nice bloke named Jack had just left after getting a drink before he headed home when someone took the stool.  There had been regular turnover the entire time Harry had been there, but for some reason he hadn’t been expecting someone to take the seat.  Harry was still mourning a bit over losing Jack so soon when he’d been so nice and such a great conversationalist.  He wasn’t ready to chat with someone new just yet.

“Hey, what’re you drinking?” the man asked.  “Is it cider?  Fuck.  I was going to get a dark ale, but cider sounds fucking amazing now that I’ve seen yours.”

Harry turned his head to the right and was immediately struck silent.  His brain even stopped functioning, that’s how beautiful this man was.  He had the most incredibly shaped nose and his eyelashes were so long and elegant they made shadows fall across his cheekbones.  Oh God.  His cheekbones.  They were sharp and yet offset the softness found in the man’s incredible blue eyes.  

Harry was staring.  And maybe leaning into this stranger’s personal bubble a little too far.  He tried to pull back so he wasn’t too close, but he apparently overcorrected, because he began sliding off his stool.  The perfect and too beautiful to be real man reached out and helped save him before he toppled off completely, though.  Wow.  Gorgeous and a life saver.

“Well, that’s a bit much, I think, but I’ll accept the compliment all the same.”

Oh my God, he really wasn’t human!  He could read Harry’s mind!

“Nah, mate.  You’re just talking out loud.”

Harry blinked and covered his mouth with his hand.  “Oh.  Sorry.”

The man laughed and Harry was in love.  This was it.  This man was perfect and his laugh was the best gift Harry had ever received and he needed to marry this guy immediately.  Luckily his hand was still on his mouth so he could be sure he didn’t accidentally blurt out a proposal.  He should probably learn his future husband’s name first.  And make sure he was into guys.  That might be kind of important.

“How many of those have you had, anyway?”

“Enough that I’m making him go to water for a bit before he can have another,” Fionn interrupted.  Harry turned and pouted at him.  

“Fionn, you don’t mean that, do you?  Do you, lovely Fionn with an earring?”  Harry patted Fionn on the head and he just started back at Harry, completely unimpressed.

“You’ll never give up mentioning the earring, will you?  I don’t care if you don’t like the ring, I do so let it be.”

“I just want you to try a dangly one sometime!  You’d look so great!” Harry exclaimed.  

Fionn rolled his eyes.  “What can I get for you?”

“What he’s got seems to be treating him quite well and I’ve had a rough night, so I’ll take that.”

Fionn laughed.  “You too?  Glad you found each other.  Harry here’s had the worst day I’ve heard for awhile, so you two will have plenty to talk about.”

Harry turned to the new man in wonder.  “You had a bad night too?  I’m so sorry!”  He reached out and tried to grasp the man’s shoulder, but it moved a bit to the left before he could grab it.  Hm.  Maybe he did need some of that water.  He tried for the man’s shoulder and was able to grab it that time.  “You can tell me all about it and we can be sad together.”

The man gave a sweet smile to Harry.  “Thanks, Harry.  I’m Louis.  It’s very nice to meet you.”

They talked and drank off and on until Gemma finally texted that she was back home around 11:30, and meeting him by far it was the best part of Harry’s day.  He was almost disappointed Gemma texted, because it meant he needed to be responsible and get over to her house so he could start building his plans of how to pull his life back together tomorrow.

“I should get going.  I need to be an actual adult tomorrow, but I should sleep first.”

Louis hummed and smiled from where his head was propped on his hand as he leaned against the bar.  “Let me settle our tab and then I can walk you home.”

Harry blushed.  He wasn’t drunk anymore, but he wouldn’t say no to Louis walking him home and getting a little more time with him.  “Okay.  Thank you.”

Louis paid up and Fionn brought Harry his box of shit.  Louis arched his brow, and it was then that Harry realized neither had said why their days had been so bad.  Oh well.  Hopefully he’d get the chance to talk to Louis more another day and make the Worst Day Ever worth it in the long run.

They crossed the street and rounded the corner to Gemma’s building and when they got there, Harry turned to Louis.  “This is me.  At least, it is for tonight.”

Louis smiled softly.  “Alright.  It was great meeting you.  Would you mind if I got your number?  Maybe I could call you sometime?”

The warmth that Harry had felt in his chest the entire night exploded and made it’s way out to the rest of his body.  Louis wanted to talk to him again as well.  This was definitely a great ending to the day.  They traded phones and put themselves in before handing them back.

“Thanks, Harry.  I hope you have a good rest of your night,” Louis said softly as he began to back away slowly.

“You, too.  Talk to you soon.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

**Friday, Take Two**

Harry woke up in darkness.  That wasn’t necessarily a strange thing, but Gemma’s flat was very bright.  It was one of the main reasons she had chosen it, and now Harry had woken up to darkness that didn’t seem to make sense.

He was also on a mattress when he’d definitely absolutely fallen asleep on a couch.  What the hell was going on?

Harry sat up and found himself in his bedroom.  Looking around, everything looked in place, but he had no recollection of getting himself there.  What the actual fuck?

Harry reached for his phone and found it was dead.  Again.  Of course it was.  Two days in a row now he’s woken up to a dead phone.  Such shit.  

He heaved himself out of bed and went to the bathroom.  He washed up a bit and felt more awake, but things still felt weird.  Familiar.  It was very unsettling.

Since his phone was dead, Harry walked over to his laptop where it was sitting on the kitchen table and when he opened it he saw the time was half seven.  Not bad, but why was he awake so early on a Saturday?  He usually slept until eight no problem on the weekends.  He closed his laptop and went back to his room.  He might as well go to the local starbucks and take advantage of their free WiFi and power plugs to charge everything up while he began trying to figure out what the hell was going on with his life.

Once he was decent and he had everything he figured he would need, he realized something strange.  

He had his wallet.  The one he’d lost the day before.  It was where he always put it at night, but he knew he didn’t have it after his late lunch at work.  Not only that, but the clothes he’d gotten stained with coffee the day before were sitting clean and laid out on his chair like he hadn’t worn them to work yet.  Only he had.  He definitely had.

Harry rubbed his hands over his face.  “It’s like I’m stuck in that damn Groundhog Day film or something,” he muttered to himself.  Even though he knew that was impossible, he walked back to his laptop and opened the calendar app.  Friday, August 11.

Holy.  Fucking.  Shit.

Harry needed to find a way to get his phone charged enough to make a phone call, because this couldn’t be actually happening.  Harry practically flew out his door and into the coffee shop where he immediately found an open seat by a socket.  He got the phone charging and as soon as it powered back up he noted his phone also said Friday, August 11 before he dialed his mum.

“Harry, darling!  You really shouldn’t call in the mornings, you know it just makes you even more late for work than you already are.”

Harry rolled his eyes.  “Mum.  What day is it?”

“Well, can’t you just look at your phone, love?  I think it’s the tenth?”  He could hear her looking around and she finally said, “Oh!  Nope.  It’s Friday, so it’s the eleventh.  Why do you ask?”

Harry’s heart was beating out of his chest.  Weakly he answered, “I was just a little confused.  It’s been a strange morning.  Thanks, Mum.  Love you.”

“Love you, too.”  They rang off and Harry just sat there.  Damnit.  Well, he might as well go back to his flat and get dressed.  Apparently he had to go and get fired again.

 

*~~***~~*

 

As Harry held the box with the same belongings he’d taken with him yesterday (could he actually call it yesterday since it apparently was technically today?), he shifted it around enough so he could feel in his back pocket.  He’d stayed at his desk for lunch today in the hope he’d be able to avoid losing his wallet, and was pleased to find he still had it as he’d walked into his boss’ office.  

Apparently sometime in the last forty five minutes, Harry had still found a way to lose it.  Just like even though the timing was different, he’d still gotten coffee spilled all down his front, but this time it was in the employee lounge instead of on the sidewalk waiting for his bus.  And his check had still been sent to his mum’s place, so he was still broke for who knew how long.  And his mum had texted him about the date she wanted him to go on with her friend’s son and he had once again told her to cancel it.  In essence, Harry’s Worst Day had been relived with only a  slight deviation of plot.  He felt almost numb because even though he knew what was coming in some ways, he also needed that emotional recovery time in order to survive this day a second time.  

Harry picked up the box and began the long and tedious walk to where he was going to bum some free cider off of Fionn again as he tried to figure out how the hell this happened in the first place.

The evening went somewhat similarly to the night before, and Harry enjoyed himself, but chose to go a bit slower with the drinks this round.  He hadn’t forgotten about Louis, and he was looking forward to seeing him again.  If he had to live with this God awful day a second time, he better be able to have the good part too.

Jack had just gotten up to leave and Harry knew that first time around, this was when Louis came.  Just like before, it only took a minute for Louis to sit down on the barstool.

“Oh good, there you are,” Harry said with a smile.

Louis furrowed his brow and looked at Harry warily.  “Uh, yep.  Here I am,” he said slowly.  “I’m sorry, have we met?”

Harry bit down his smile.  He was so happy Louis had arrived, he hadn’t thought about how crazy he would come off saying something like that.  “No.  I mean, kind of?  It’s hard to explain.  But this is the first time we’ve spoken, kinda.”

Louis continued to look at Harry a little nervously, but he made a small hum of acquiescence and stayed put.  Good.  Harry wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he scared Louis away without getting to talk to him this time.  And what if this version of his day is the one that stuck?  What if he fucked up this time and Saturday finally came and Louis left without his number tonight and Harry never found him again or had a way to reach him?  God, that would be fucked.  Harry had to be sure not to mess this up.

“Are you drinking cider?  I was pretty set on a dark ale, but now i’m leaning towards a cider.”

Harry smiled and was glad he’d gotten a new one from Jack before he left.  Nice bloke and he didn’t even know he was helping Harry start his hopefully also amazing conversation with Louis.

“Yes he is, he’s been on it off and on all night.  Would you like a pint as well?” Fionn asked, wiping his hands on  his cloth.  “It also happens to be the special tonight.”

Harry looked at Fionn in surprise.  The cider definitely was  _ not _ the special tonight, since they didn’t do specials on the weekends.  Fionn just winked at Harry and nodded when Louis took him up on the offer.  Harry was officially promoting Fionn to best friend for this.

Harry turned back to Louis and found Louis eyeing his ruined shirt.  “Looks like you had a bit of a rough day.  What happened there?”

Harry looked down and flattened the shirt to his chest as he inspected how bad the coffee stain was.  “Yeah.  I’ve started referring to today as The Worst Day.  The coffee spilling on me this morning was honestly one of the better parts, if you can believe it.”

Louis raised his brows in surprise.  “Ooh, that sounds rough, mate.  My day was fine until a little bit ago.  Then it basically went to shit, but it is what it is.”

“Oh yeah, you didn’t tell me what happened last time,” Harry said before sipping on his cider.  Damn.  He really shouldn’t have said that.

“Sorry?  What do you mean, last time?” Louis asked.

Harry lowered his pint nervously and watched as Louis took a sip of the one Fionn placed in front of him.  God, watching his throat bob as he took a long draw was obscene.  Harry swallowed and tried to pull himself together as well as an excuse.

“Sorry.  Today has been a long and shit day and I keep getting things confused.  Don’t mind me.”  He gave a tired smile, and Louis seemed to accept the excuse again.  Harry really needed to be more careful if he wasn’t going to ruin this chance at setting things up well for whenever Saturday did eventually come.

“That’s alright, mate.  So yeah, I got out of work late and my phone died, but I had a date tonight and I didn’t want to be late so I rushed over there without going home to change and power my phone.  I got there a few minutes late even still and the hostess let me charge my phone at their stand while I was eating dinner, except my date never showed!”  Louis paused to take another drink, and Harry couldn’t stop watching him.  Louis was just too perfect, and the way he was so expressive when telling stories, Harry was more than enthralled.  “I thought maybe they at least had the decency to let me know they wouldn’t be able to make it or something and because my phone was charging I just hadn’t gotten the message, but after an hour of waiting I went to check, and there weren’t any calls or texts.  So I went home and changed before coming here, trying to not feel like a total loser who was just stood up.”

“You definitely aren’t a loser,” Harry said in as comforting a voice as possible.

Louis chuckled, but looked down at the bar where his finger was tracing the grain of the wood.  “Thanks, but no offense, we just met.  Not sure that’s a huge vote of confidence.”

Harry leaned down until Louis finally looked up enough to make eye contact.  “I have a sense about people,” Harry said.  “And I can already tell, you’re a good one.”

Louis studied Harry’s eyes, and as Harry met his gaze, he was once again blown away by how clear and vibrant the blue was.  Harry would love to sink further into them and pick apart every varying shade within and see if maybe his soul really was on display there.  If it was, it had to be the brightest belonging to a person their age he’d met.

“You too,” Louis said quietly, shaking his head and looking around in surprise.  “Well, that was a bit deeper than I was planning to go in a bar!”

Harry chuckled and raised his glass to Louis before taking a sip and Louis followed suit.  

Together, they drank more than Harry had the night before, and by the end of the evening when Gemma texted that she’d returned home at the same time she had the night before, Harry was admittedly a bit fuzzy around the edges.

“D’you think you can make it home?” Louis asked, giggling into the back of his hand.  

Harry shook his head.  “Nope.  That’ll be an awful long walk.  But I think I probably could make it to my sister’s.”

Louis nodded his head in a mock serious manner.  “Right, right.  Do you need assistance getting there?  Not sure I’ll be much help, but I could try!”

Harry flushed in happiness.  He knew Louis would likely offer, but the fact it still happened made his tummy feel a bit funny in the best of ways.  “I think I definitely need your assistance, but what I need even more is your phone number.”  Perfect.  Even tipsy Harry still had it in him.

Louis giggled again, and then pulled out his phone.  “Here.  Program your number and then give yourself a ring.”

Harry did his best to manage his fumbling fingers and he was only about 67.4 percent sure he spelled his own name correctly, but he triple checked the number, and when he sent a text, his phone vibrated with the message so he got the important parts down.

Louis kindly took care of the tab and guided Harry out, despite not knowing where exactly Gemma lived.  They’d started walking in the wrong direction before Harry realized he should be the one navigating.

“Oh, Lou!  Loulou, we are definitely going the wrong way.  Gemma’s flat is the other direction.”

Louis’ arm slipped from Harry’s shoulders down to his waist and he hid his face in Harry’s shoulder as he started giggling uncontrollably.  

“I knew I was walking you home, but I automatically started towards mine,” Louis sputtered, and Harry almost blurted out he wouldn’t mind.  But of course he would.  A lady needed to at least be asked out on a date before she agreed to go back to man’s place, or at least Harry did.  Usually.  Sometimes.  Fine, that was a blatant lie, but he wanted to at least try to be a little more classy than usual for Louis.  Or pretend to be.  God, Harry just really wanted his hands on Louis’ arse, okay?  Now that he’d seen it, he knew it was all he’d think about for days.

Louis finally stood up again and turned them around.  “Alright, Dimples.  Lead the way!”

They stumbled their way the few blocks over to Gemma’s and Harry had just turned around to say goodnight to Louis,  _ maybe _ even try to get a kiss, when the bells in the nearby church began to chime and the entire world went a bit crazy.  It was like the beginning of Doctor Who and everything was spinning and lights and then everything went dark.

 

*~~***~~*

 

**Friday, Take Three**

Harry woke up back in his flat, and he knew it had happened again.  Fuck that.  He was staying in bed, miserable without electricity because at least that way he couldn’t have his mom trying to set him up and he didn’t have to get coffee spilled on him and get fired and just relive the Worst Day all the fuck over again damn it.

He still somehow managed to lose his wallet.

 

*~~***~~*

 

**Friday, Take Four**

Harry opened his eyes, hoping against all hope that he’d woken up at Gemma’s and maybe the first try at the day was the one that took.  It didn’t look to be the case, though.  

Harry squeezed his eyes shut again.  He couldn’t keep going like this.  He’d nearly torn himself apart going absolutely insane the night before with the terror of this day always playing on repeat.  What if he constantly had to live through the shittiest day of his life, flat broke, being fired from his job, getting spilled on, losing his wallet, etc. until one day he just dies?  Will that ever actually happen?  If he keeps living the day over and over, he won’t actually age, will he?

“For fuuuuuucks saaaaaaaaaaaaaake!” Harry yelled at the top of his lungs.  What did he care if he got a noise complaint?  The day would just repeat itself anyway.

Oh God.  Harry needed to get out of his flat before he worked himself into a full on panic attack.  It had been ages since he’d had one, but he still vividly remembered what they felt like when they were coming on.

He sat up in bed and decided a quick shower would be fine and then maybe he could hide out in a coffee shop and job search all day.  Yeah.  That way he didn’t have to actually go through with being fired, but he was still being proactive about things.  Sure.  That could work.

He showered as best he could with some candles in the bathroom as his light, and then dressed in his most comfortable casual clothes.  Might as well be comfortable.  He was just about to leave when he remembered the coffee spillage that always happened.  He spun around and shoved a second outfit into his bag.  There.  Maybe that would help.

Harry walked out the door, still feeling uneasy, but also lighter than he had since this day started the first time.  Maybe this was what he needed the entire time, to take control of the day that from the moment he woke up made him feel powerless.  

Rather than going to the Starbucks down the way that always had him craving a frappucino, he went to the smaller coffee shop that advertised it’s free WiFi, even without a purchase.  That was exactly what he needed considering his money situation.  Plus, if he was there long enough, they sometimes gave him a free croissant.

Since it was a normal work day for many Londoners, Harry found the shop to be fairly empty when it came to the actual seating.  He was thankful, he might have felt a bit better than he had the last couple attempts at this day, but he still was in no mood to fight for a seat close to a socket.

Harry settled down and had been in his seat for no more than seven minutes, if the clock on the wall was to be believed, when he became thankful for his foresight in packing an extra change of clothes.  

“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” the girl apologized.  “I just slipped on the wet floor, I didn’t even see the sign warning about it!”

Harry looked down at his soaked shirt and began laughing maniacally.  What the fuck had become of his life?

“It’s fine.  Really, it is.”  She looked at him, almost like she was fearful he was being kind just to catch her off guard after, so he tried to calm his laughter to show her he was serious.  “Truly.  It’s okay.”

“I’m going to buy you a coffee.  A tea?  What would you like?”

“I’ll take a chai latte, if you’re offering, but truly, you don’t need to if you can’t.  Go ahead and get yourself a new drink, though.”

Harry grabbed his bag, which also had a bit of what smelled like a mocha on it, and headed to the restroom for a quick change.  At least she’d missed his charging phone and laptop.

Freshly changed, Harry sat himself back down in his seat only to find a steaming tea and a croissant beside his laptop along with a note that said, “I really am so sorry!  xx Lottie”

Harry pocketed the note and, after taking a sip of the too hot tea, got to work on the applications.  This was definitely going to be the last time he lived out this day if he had anything to say about it.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry ignored the calls from his boss.  They could fire him over voicemail if they wanted.  He’d just mail his badge to them later and they could have his shit, though he would miss that rock.

Harry considered the fact that he hadn’t yet lost his wallet, and took advantage by packing everything up and riding the bus to Gemma’s while he still had it.  Didn’t want to lose his bus pass before he got there.  Harry had just emerged and was trying to figure out if he should go see Fionn or just camp out by Gemma’s when his phone vibrated again.  Sighing, he was prepared to ignore the call again when he saw it was his mom instead.

“Hey, Mum,” Harry greeted as he walked towards Gemma’s flat.  He really did love this part of town, now that he was enjoying the rare beautiful weather this particular day had offered him on repeat.  

“Harry!  I wasn’t expecting you to answer already.  Was prepared to leave a message.”  

Harry huffed a laugh.  He’d forgotten he hadn’t talked to his mum about losing his job on this round of today yet.  “Are you saying you’re disappointed?” he teased.

Anne’s laugh rang through his speakers and he was glad he was in a better mood this time around.  “Of course not, cheeky boy!  Pleasantly surprised, is all.”

Harry hummed in response as he turned onto Gemma’s street.  Perhaps he could just go see Fionn later when he knew Louis would be showing up.  That might be nice.

“So, I’ve been plotting with my friend Jay,” Anne started and Harry groaned.  He’d been so focused on meeting Louis (again) that he’d not remembered the blind date she had planned for him.  “Don’t give me that, Harry.  Louis has just moved down to London and doesn’t know many people!”

Harry was in the midst of rolling his eyes when the name she mentioned registered causing him to stop in the middle of the sidewalk.  Several disgruntled pedestrians went around him and he mouthed sorry at the few that looked at him.  

“I’m sorry, did you say Louis?”

“Yes!” Anne practically sang.  He could practically see her moving around her bright, sunny kitchen as she laid out all of her plans for him.  “He’s Jay’s son, and I’m telling you he’s darling.”

“What was Jay’s last name again?  Dirkin or something?”  Harry was fishing at this point, but he needed to know.  He had to.

“Deakin, but Louis’ last name is Tomlinson.”

Louis Tomlinson.  There was no way it was the same Louis he’d been meeting every night, right?  But then something niggled at Harry.  The reason Louis was so disappointed he’d found a bar before nine on a Friday to drink.  Somewhere  _ different _ than the pub where he’d been humiliated due to being stood up. Could it be possible that the one who had disappointed him so badly was actually  _ Harry? _

Harry was brought out of his reverie by Anne repeating his name.  “Harry?  Are you still there?  Harry?”

“Yeah, sorry, Mum.  I’m here.  What time did you say for the date?”

I could hear her sigh in relief that he wasn’t fighting her on this.  Of course he wasn’t.  Just the  _ chance _ it was the same Louis had Harry willing to run a marathon to spend more time with him.

“Seven.  At the Stag and Laurels.”

Shit.  Everything was fitting with Louis’ story.  The Stag and Laurels was quite close to Gemma’s as well, so the walk to the bar would have been easy enough, and the timeline given made sense as well.  Harry felt awful.  Those other days it was Harry making Louis feel worthless and miserable.  

“Okay.  I’ll go.  Can you get me his number?”  Harry had no idea if she actually had that, but he figured she would work it out.  Though, if Harry remembered correctly, Louis’ phone died before he got to the restaurant.  

“I don’t have it, but I’m sure I can get it from Jay.  Oh, H.  You’re going to adore him!  He’s lovely and sweet and just the kind of boy I want you to marry!”

“God, Mum,” Harry laughed, finally getting himself to move again.  “Talk about pressure.”

She tutted at him and then began to update him on Dusty and the other cats.  They chatted long enough for Harry to get to the door and find Gemma had just arrived as well.

“Mum, I’ve gotta go.  I’m at Gemma’s.”

“Oh, fine.  Have a fantastic evening, love!  And I’ll text you Louis’ number once I’m able to get it from Jay.”

Harry smiled and held the door open for his sister.  “Sounds great.  Love you.”

“Love you, too!”

“Mum finally called to tell you about the date, hm?” Gemma said with an arched brow.  She really did have perfectly shaped brows.  Harry should ask her to help him clean up his a bit, they looked a bit scraggly.

Wait.  “You knew about the date?”  

Gemma laughed and her eyes had a devious look about them.  “I helped her plan it,” she confided.

“What?!” Harry squawked.  “I thought this was something she’d just come up with today!  How long has this been in the works?”

The lift doors closed behind them and took them up to the flat Gemma and Michal shared and she laughed loudly.  “Longer than you realize.  Apparently Louis has been pretty busy getting settled the last few weeks so it took a bit to find a time he was free and Mum knew how hard you’d fight it if given actual time to prepare, so she thought last minute would be best.  I didn’t realize she was only  _ now _ telling you about it.”

“She was going to do it over voicemail.  I surprised her by actually answering.”

Gemma’s mouth dropped open.  “She was not!  How conniving of her.”

They walked into her flat and dropped their things down before Gemma turned to him and looked him over.

“Is that seriously what you’re going to wear?”

Harry looked down and took in his ratty Rolling Stones t-shirt.  “I don’t exactly have many other options, particularly with the time constraints.”

Gemma looked at her watch and let out a little hiss of air when she realized he’d need to leave shortly to make it to the Stag and Laurels on time.

“Come on, Michal’s got to have something.”

Harry hoped so.  This was his chance to improve the ending of this day just as much as he did the beginning, but first he wanted to be able to impress Louis and feel confident.  He was fairly certain that while Louis wouldn’t care, Harry would feel better if he didn’t walk into a date wearing a top that was held together with safety pins.

Within minutes Harry was wearing a shirt that was perhaps not his usual style, but looked well enough when he kept the top buttons unbuttoned and after running some product through his hair, he felt ready to go.

“Can I have the spare so I don’t have to worry about when you two get home tonight?”

Gemma rolled her eyes and tossed the key at him.  “You have fun, tonight.”

Harry took a deep breath in and held it before nodding.  “Thanks.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

It had to be the same Louis.  Harry hadn’t forgotten Louis saying that his phone had died while he’d been running late, which was the only reason he wasn’t completely freaking out when it was ten minutes past seven and Louis hadn’t shown yet.  The door to the pub opened again and it was then that Harry knew; it was him.

Harry turned around and saw Louis in his slightly rumpled work clothes.  Fuck.  He was beautiful in his jeans and t-shirt, but in a shirt and charcoal dress trousers he was a vision.  They hugged his curves in the perfect way and the blue stripes on his shirt emphasized his eyes even more.  Harry might just be a dead man.

“Hey, Harry?  I’m Louis,” Louis said, walking up and holding his hand out.  “I’m so sorry I’m late.  My phone died as well, so I couldn’t even text to warn you!”

“That’s okay,” Harry said.  He wanted to say he knew Louis would be late, but that would definitely come off more than a bit creepy.

Louis took his seat across from Harry, and with that the next several hours flew by.  They enjoyed their meal and chatted nonstop all the way through dessert.  They both decided a walk around town would be just what they needed after eating so much, and their talking continued with ease then as well.  Harry marveled how each of the three times he’d “met” Louis, he’d felt comfortable from the very beginning.  There was something about Louis that drew him in unlike anyone else Harry had ever met before.

“So then, Lottie was like - “

“Wait, your sister’s name is Lottie?” Harry asked.  Why was that name familiar?

Louis smiled with fondness.  “Yeah.  She actually is down for the week as she does some interviews.”

Harry wracked his brain as he attempted to figure out why that name was sticking with him.  It wasn’t very common.  “She wouldn’t happen to have silver hair, would she?”

Louis nodded happily.  “Did my mom already get your number and start spamming you with family stories?  I warned her not to, but honestly I wouldn’t be surprised,” Louis joked.

“No, actually…”  Harry stuck his hand in his left back pocket and found the napkin he’d been looking for.  “I think she spilled coffee on me this morning.”

Louis squeaked a bit in surprise before coughing and saying, “I’m sorry.  She what?”

Harry flattened the napkin and held it up beneath a streetlamp so Louis could see her note.  

“Well fuck.  That was definitely my Lottie.  That’s her signature.”  Louis pulled back a little and looked at Harry.  “Harry, do you believe in fate?”

Harry let out a chuckle and looked around himself.  Here he was in the middle of a city of millions.  Four days in a row now he’s lived the same day over again, and in every version (where he left his house, anyway) Harry met Louis.  Not only had he met Louis and actually been able to go on a date with him this time, but he’d also met his younger sister.  Harry might not have believed in fate before, but he was having a hard time thinking of excuses why not at this point.

He finally turned back to Louis and tentatively took his hand in his own.  “Yeah.  I do.”

Louis smiled brightly, squeezing Harry’s hand tight before adjusting their hands so they could weave their fingers together.  “I think I do too.”

When Harry woke up the next morning still in Louis’ arms, he knew without a doubt that fate knew just what she was doing.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it (or would just like to be nice), please leave kudos and a kind comment! If you want your favorite snack to magically appear in front of you whenever you desire it, please reblog the fic post [here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/164253961213/wait-for-the-end-to-change-by-lululawrence-for).
> 
> Interested in helping support charities with fanfic? If you are, I could write a fic for you! Check out the info [here on Tumblr](https://1dfanworksforcharity.tumblr.com/post/174494969280/1d-fanworks-for-charity-auctions-for-lululawrence).


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